Debris pusher and catcher for well packers



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we? W a, Utouwn Jan. 14, 1941. R. c. BAKER DEBRIS PUSHER AND CATCHER FOR WELL PACKERS Filed July 25; 1959 Patented Jan. 14, 1941 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE DEBBIS PUSHER AND CATCHER FOR WELL Y PACKERS Reuben C. Baker, Coalinga, Calif., assignor to Baker Oil Tools, Inc., Huntington Park, Calif., a corporation of California Application July 2 5, 1939, Serial No. 286,404

8 Claims. (Cl. 166-12) This invention relates to well packers deof a size which would contact or otherwise insigned to be lowered within and secured to well fiuence the slips or packing seal usually procasings, for the purpose of performing Specic vided in well packers. 'ie debris pusher is disfunctions therein. i closed in combination with a cement retainer,

Well packers adapted to be run in casings are whichr will now be described in detail. Howusually provided with packings carried by their ever, it is apparent that the general principles of main bodies for the purDOse of effecting a seal the invention are applicable to other forms of between the body and the walls of the casing, and cement retainers than the one disclosed, and to also with slips having wickers orteeth capable a. variety of well packers.

10 of digging into the casing to secure the packer l 'Ihe well packer is shown coupled to the end of l0 thereto.I These slips and packings are retained a string of tubing D or the like, with its parts in initially on the body in a retracted position to retracted position to permit freedom of passage permit lowering of the device to the desired through the casing to the desired setting point. point in thecasing before the slips and packing The packer includes a main body l0 carrying a n are set. However, under some circumstances, set of upper annular segmental slips Il adapted 15. conditions of the hole and casing cause Vpremato be moved into engagement with the casing byy ture setting of those casing engaging parts, as an upper expandercone l2 initially retained in 101' example. 119011 their BDCOimterlng debris retracted position by one or more shear screws within the casing which tends to force them to a I3 attaching it to the main body. The upper setting position before the desired point in the slips Il are similarly retained in retracted or in- 20 casing or condition of operation is reached. Aceffective position by respective shear screws Il, cordingly, it isan object of this invention to prol5 securing it to the cone and main body. A lowvide a well packer in which debris or other detri'- er set of annular segmental slips I6 is initially mental substances within the casing are' preheld in retracted position by attaching it to the vented from prematurely causing its setting. main body by shear screws I1 and to a lower ex- 25 It is a further object of the invention to propander cone I8 through additional shear screws vide a debris pusher and catcher on a well packer, Ispthis latter cone being initially held in metier, such as a cement retainer, which permits circutive position by suitable'frangible connections in lation of fluid through the packer during its lowthe form of shear screws 20.

ering in the casing and thereafter, but which A packing sleeve 2| of synthetic or natural 30 prevents debris from moving externally ofthe rubber is positioned between and suitably sepacker. cured to the ends of the expander cones I2,'l8,

The invention has other objects that will bebeing initially retained free from contact with come apparent from a consideration of an emthe casing walls, but being capable of expansion bodiment shown in the drawing accompanying and contraction into engagement therewith and 35 4and forming part of the present specification. the main body of the packer.

This form will now be described in detail, but it A valve assembly housing 22 is threadedly seg is to be understood that such detailed descripcured to the lower end of the main packer body, tion is not to be taken in a limited sense, 'since' carrying therewithin a tripping ball seat 23 in- 40 the scope of the invention is best defined by the itially secured thereto by` a shear screw 24. This 40 appended claims. seat has an upstanding arm 25 for holding a Referring the the drawing: buoyant back pressure ball 26 in ineffective posi- Figure 1`is a longitudinal section of a well tion against the interior of the housing to prepacker and debris pusher within awell casing; vent its seating against a valve seat 21 provided Figure 2 is a fragmentary longitudinal section at the lower end of the main body. Removal 45 l of the packer with its upper slips in set posiof this arm through a proper operation of the tion: and v packer device will permit the ball 2l to be posi- Figure 3 is a fragmentary longitudinal section tioned on its cooperable valve seat whenever reshowing the packer in fully set position. verse ilow through the body tends to occur.

5o In accordance with the invention, a vdebris 'Ihe packer B is run into the casing to the de- 50- pusher and catcher A 'is attached to the ,lowerv sired point and circulation established thereend of a well' packer B with the' leading terminus through to remove any undesired foreign matter. of the pusher effecting a close iit with the walls Thereafter, a tripping ball 28 is lowered or of a casing C, to prevent by-passing of any depumped down through the tubing string to seatbrlswltl'ln the casing externally along the packer ing engagement with the tripping ball seat 2l, 551

permitting increase of the pressure of the uld within the packer body and its passage through ports 23 lopening through the body into the interior of the packing. 'I'his iiuid under .pressure will move the cone I2 upwardly along the body to disrupt the various shear screws I3, I4, I5 and expand the upper slips II outwardly into gripping engagement with the casing (see Figure 2). 'I'he extent of this upward movement is limited by a setting ring 30 suitably attached to the upper end of the main body.

After setting the upper slips, the pressure oi' the uid is increased to shear the pin 2l holding the tripping ball seat 23 to the valve housing 22 and remove the seat together with its upstanding arm 25 entirely therefrom, allowing the back pressure ball to seat whenever reverse flow of fluid tends to occur. The taking an upwardly directed strain on the tubing D and the main body Il of the packer will compress the packing I I between the 'casing wall and exterior oi the main body, whereupon a continuation of this strain will shear the screws I'I, I9, 20 holding the lower slips and cone to the body and cause engagement of the abutment 3| at the end of the body with the slips I3 to move them longitudinally along the face of the expander cone I8 and radially into engagement with they casing (see Figure 3). A continuation of this upward strain will further move the lower slips and cone toward the upper set and compress the packing between the casing walls and exterior of the main body, eiecting a leak-proof seal therebetween. The cement retainer is now in set position for the performance of a cementing or other operation, or to function as a bridge plug, as explained in United States Patent No. 2,121,051, to which attention is invited.

Although under many circumstances the well packer or cement r'etainer B can be lowered in. the casing to the desired point and set therein in the manner aforementioned, conditions sometimes are presented which effect its premature setting upon being moved through the caslng. I propose to obviate such premature setting by threadedly attaching a supplementary body 32 to the lower end oi the retainer or valve housing 22, this body being provided with a scraper 3&3 of rubber or other suitable material secured to its lower terminus and adapted to make a comparatively close iit with or slidably engage the walls of the casing with a. reasonable degree of pressure.' Thus, as the packer is lowered through the casing, the scraper will prevent any debris from moving externally lof the packer and having possible detrimental effects upon the slips II, I6 and packing sleeve 2 I. In place of moving externally of the packer, the debris is directed into andv through a bore 34 provided in the supplementary body, the intermediate portion of this body being provided with suitable perforations or slots 35 permitting exiting of fluids or liquids therefrom. However, these slots are ot insufilclent dimensions to allow passage of the debris, which will be either contained within the supplementary body 32, or which might be of such quantity in some instances as to pass into the main body I0 of the packer. This latter possible y,circumstance will have no detrimental effects upon the packer either during its lowering in the casing'to the desired setting point, or during subsequent operations, since circulation of iiuid downwardly through the string of tubing and packer will eiective remove all of the debris in order that unimpeded operation .of the packer can be obtained after it has been positioned at the desired region in the casing.

'I'he scraping portion 33 of the debris pusher is either slightly spaced from or engages the walls of the casing with a slight force, which, however,

is insufiicient to retard or prevent lowering of the packer therein. Its lower end, however, is slightly inclined so that both uid and debris are guided inwardly toward its opening.

I claim:

l. In a well packer, a body having a longitudinal central passage adapted to be lowered in a casing, slips supported by said body in retracted position as the packer moves through said casing, a oneway valve assembly xed to the lower end of said body and provided with valve means adapted to close said passage, a supplementary hollow body secured to said valve assembly and communicating therewith, a scraper attached to the end of said hollow body in circumferential juxtaposition with said casing, said supplementary body being provided with openings above said scraper establishing communications between its interior and exterior lto permit by-passing of uid around the scraper.

2. A debris pusher for a well packer, including a hollow body having an upper end adapted for attachment to said packer and an opening at its lower end, a scraper secured to the periphery of said body at its lower end, said body having elongated openings through its side walls of dimensions permitting uid to by-pass said scraper while preventing passage of debris.

3. A debris pusher for a well packer, including a hollow body having an upper end adapted for attachment to said packer and an opening at its lower end, a rubber scraper secured to the periphery of said body at its lower end, said body having circumferentially arranged slots through its side walls intermediate its ends and above said scraper of dimensions permitting fluid to by-pass said scraper while preventing material passage of debris.

4. In a well packer, a body adapted to be lowered in a casing, slips supported by said body in retracted position as the packer moves through said casing, a device xed to said body below said slips with its lower end circumferentially contiguous to said casing to prevent passage of debris externally of said packer as it is lowered through the casing, said body having a passage therethrough, a chamber in said device opening through the bottom thereof and communicating with said passage, said chamber having circumferentially spaced elongated openings throughv its side walls permitting by-passing of fluid around the contiguous portion of said device between the exterior and interior of said chamber.

5.' A debris pusher for a well packer, including a hollow elongated body having an upper end adapted for attachment to said packer and an opening at its lower end, a rubber scraper sleeve secured to the periphery of said body at its lower end, said body having circumferentially arranged slots through its side walls intermediate its ends and above said scraper of dimensions permitting fluid to by-pass said scraper while preventing material passage of debris, the bottom of said scraper being tapered inwardly and upwardly.

6, A debris pusher for a well packer, including a hollow body having an upper end adapted for attachment to said packer and an opening at its lower end, a scraper secured to the periphery of said body at its lower end, said body having openings through its side walls of dimensions permit- -in retracted position as the packer moves through ting iiuid to by-pass said scraper while preventing passage oi' debris.

7. A debris pusher for a well packer, including a hollow body having an upper end adapted for attachment to said packer and an opening at its lower end, said lower end being of such dimensions said casing, a device iixed to said body below said slips with its lower end circumferentially contiguous to said casing to prevent passage of debris externally of said packer as it is lowered through the casing, said body having a passage therethrough, a chamber for said -body opening through the bottom thereof and communicating with said passage, said chamber having spaced openings through its side walls permitting by-passing of 1o uid around the contiguous portion of said device between the exterior and interior of said chamber.

REUBEN c. nAKER. 

